50 Years of Sea King in UK service

[chopper2004]

Happy Half A Century of UK SK ops

https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/news-and-stories-detail/-/detail/sea-king-50th-anniversary

Some of my photos from five years ago of Century of AW at Yeovil

cheers


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/293beb8c_9108_4d0e_a1f5_459a92f3780f_d0ac01af73a9c7da17dcca6 2a07837f47b885458.jpeg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/3655d36f_4121_44e6_aac9_1d5e0f327715_e735beb045ed9e9fcf4b26c 620d4bf1e395a02aa.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/1354ab63_8058_4bd4_83a8_84730e8ba8d4_3acc616f49ea646e0e0a965 96a4abd64c3562a5c.jpeg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/dca6de08_6267_4926_aa10_ffc86f56464c_5da8d1c569fe5c5091d07a7 fbd8bd92097cb3ac5.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/ab5a1824_8ab6_4f3c_9fb3_604cbc952943_58261894cffa43bf4792e4a 2aaccafb2d889559f.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/41d48de1_e93e_4b5e_8430_d11845f218cd_88ebe7f7f88fbfba203cca6 d082673e7be64259f.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/d4bf0185_605f_40eb_8c50_08c9eeb7b431_ef7b93e2f7211c589733429 c1e674a167498edba.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1333/353ffc81_5b2c_4d23_8850_4069fe8cfced_1181d5b924358681bd73316 bf67e58bc2ba63626.jpeg

and also from Farnborough Air Show 2018 of HeliOperations SK.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x720/56415aec_9809_4337_b86c_7973895f096a_fd0e8f75887e35fca2baba6 bee4f06b3a4ddc2b2.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/960x720/6791d86b_a0fe_45b0_8b43_28fb13b43bdd_00e05aae1baa55ced5fcb78 8a10fc7b04674be74.jpeg

[TUPE]

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/01b247cc_492b_47d9_bf4f_27294c07da30_209b29c4bb2c2023842a286 aa80bd9fc74ed2e7d.jpeg

[John Eacott]

Happy Half A Century of UK SK ops

https://uk.leonardocompany.com/en/news-and-stories-detail/-/detail/sea-king-50th-anniversary


Please don't confuse XV666 first flight with the type's date of entry into service with the RN.

700S IFTU commissioned 19th August 1969, nearly 51 years ago with Vic Sirrett as CO :ok: We had XV644 to XV649 (582/CU to 587/CU) on charge with the first three delivered in August 1969, one in September and the last two in October. 706NAS received three later in the year and the first front line operations were with 824NAS/Ark Royal from February 1970.

Spotters Hat <off>

700S stuff

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/720x428/700s_formation_38ce53ed56d7be488e13e88ff8aa02871f3333b0.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/720x483/700s_gun_lift_c498d52970a8e62d02b1a0b51bddd8ab959059cb.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/939x960/700s_sea_king_bba38aa3ec3610cb4ee08a49ae883ef8cba8a1b1.jpg

826NAS, HMS Eagle


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1794x1200/826_sea_king_140_air_to_air_eagle_52651f18cd6484c43f89b3b7ed 645e0a290327d3.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1787x1187/826_sea_king_142_with_chacon_underslung_air_to_air_over_looe __182c70265d37b789dd13f62daef7f2c809ecb5f0.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1799x1210/826_sea_king_143_on_deck_from_arrestor_gear_reeves_97306d704 7997dcf8f37f601b682037b784dcc3f.jpg
XV666/144E was delivered to 826NAS on 17th August 1970 and the first operational flight was 20th August on a 4hr 5 min CASEX with CO Lt Cdr Noel Unsworth, me, SOBS and TASI ('Sugar' Bush). A very high powered team :cool:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1550/826_stream_landing_813fc6b585e27f76834b2f37bc5b16f4f2e43254. jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1794x1206/826_sea_king_144_returning_to_eagle_off_hong_kong_2b2347614d d7929c2b4f7556fc8ad67a3b58cc86.jpg

So XV666 anniversary of RN service is still 8 weeks away :p

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/552x720/sea_king_approach_eagle_2_5afa50382365374ed5cdfa3eaefc8d0a54 dcc17d.jpg

700S trials, RFA Olna

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/720x484/rfa_hangar_700s_4fa13f3033c9e34914fce6f3083ebe2a89768c9e.jpg

[[email protected]]

Good to see the yellow Mk3A for a change - I've got plenty of hours in ZH542. I was sitting in Heliops' 666 just last week with a fellow ageing SK QHI getting misty-eyed.

[Pablo332]

Nice pictures. Was there ever a Sea King with a mk1 throttle quadrant, the one before the irreversible one?

[TUPE]

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/7d6144f0_add7_457c_a62a_c70883c9f606_a012f630b72f1e652e2e4b7 6818c40e6acb1f805.jpeg
SAROp HIFR, South Atlantic.

[[email protected]]

Ah, HMS Clyde and HIFR - done that a few times:ok: Can't be too high though or the fuel transfer rate is slower than the engines burn rate:)

[John Eacott]

With mention of XV666 and the 50th anniversary of a Westland Sea King still in active use, today is the 50th Anniversary of my first flight in XV66/144E of the 826th Vertical Pursuit Group :cool:

4hr 05min on a CASEX, not at all sure what the “4 subs, fired 2 fish” refers to :hmm: :cool:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1235/225ca74f_70d8_4bac_a117_4685825919e1_6077778aada6100218537b1 6decf0c8c009b06f4.jpeg

[QTG]

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/134b94c1_d811_4f2b_8e78_febbbd322c80_d670512672de929b26065be bf4d24730f8d58257.jpeg
XV662 April 1972 (3 days in the husbandry bay then back on line.......)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/a134b50e_73ff_47e2_986d_24e376da23eb_ac1349519bb923fe7d91ee5 ff216efb4fbe7dc4a.jpeg
HMS Tiger 1973
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/220a669f_df7b_4080_92e3_933f88ae2a76_bfbd6d90597b10787bb30de 273273a5ddabf327b.jpeg
Portland 1973
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/18018465_06e6_4801_a9f5_d0ccd2749e73_db740e32f68e58f5deabde6 04529a1b094a26310.jpeg
“The Wales” Culdrose Air Day mid 70s.